Self-cleaning oil strainer



June 22 1926.

E. l. STAPLES SELF cLEANiNG oIL sTRAINER Filed May 5, 1925 Patented .lune 22, 1926. 1 i "71"" UNITED STATES EARLE I. STAPLES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SELF-CLEANING OIL STRAINER.

Application led May 5, 1923. Serial N. 637,034.

rlfhis invention relates to self cleaning oil strainers for use in connection with oil heating and burning systems and has for its primary object the provision of a strainer of this character which shall be simple yof construction, inexpensive of manufacture and highly eflicient for the purpose intended.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strainer of this character which will be self cleaning whereby and which will include means for expelling the collected dirt and sediment from the strainer as desired and Without interrupting operations of the heating and burning system.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide a strainer which is relatively' small and yet adapted to effectively handle a relatively large volume of oil.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a strainer including` al double ported rotary `plug valve for respectively opening the intake and outlet connections to each other and which said valveis associated with means to seal the valve with t-he body of the strainer and adjustably accommodate itself to said body to render the valve easy moving.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strainer having means for divertim ing the course of the Voil in its passage to the heating system and for causing the separated dirt to be deposited at a point beyond and out of the path yof the course taken by the strained oil as it leaves the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strainer consisting of few parts 1which are readily separable to permit the active straining element to be removed as desired.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a strainer adapt-ed for'use in connection with heating plants and which is equipped with means whereby the suction valve of the pump may be closed and the steam admitted tothe strainer blown back toward the oil tank to instantly clean the line, shows leaks, etc., and which will be particularly effective when oil is cold or thick, or pumps of the plant too small or suction pipe is too long, etc.

l/Jith these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel construe tion and combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described, are particularly pointed out in the appended claim, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which i Figure 1 is a vertical section through the strainer showingparts in elevation and indicating a position of adjustment of the valve to cause the oil as it enters the intake to pass through the foraminated surface of the strainer.

Figure 2 is a side elevation with parts in section showing a second adjustment of the valve to cause the oil to pass directlyV from `the oil line through ported valveto burner.

In carrying the invention into practice, I provide a body 5 having a substantially inverted frusto-conical chamber section 6 and an upper valve seat section 7. The lower end of the chamber section 6 is provided with an annular thread or equivalent means 8 which is engaged by a corresponding thread or coacting means 9 on a truste-conical trap 10. Supported within the trap 10 is a forami-l nated strainer cone or surface 11. The maX- imum diameter of this cone approximately conforms with the maximum internal diameter of the trap 10 at the joinder of the latter with the chamber6. This-cone is axially positioned in the chamber 6 and same is open at its base 12 andl correspondingly open at its upper end as shown at 13. vThe base of the cone opens directly to the trap 10. v

Mounted to rotate in the valve seat 71s a tapered plug valve 14 having ports 15 and 16 respectively, the former terminating in a depending vertical nozzle 17 which freelyv passes through the opening 13 inthe cone 12 so as to revolve therein. The nozzle extremity ofthe port 15, has its walls formed with an annular stop flange 18 which is superposed with respect to the restricted end of the cone and which serves to centrally position the cone and hold it against endwise movement in' one direction. The body 5 is provided with a threaded intake opening 19 and a corresponding outlet opening 20 adapted to be connected in a burner oil pipe line or the suction line of a heating plant or system. These openings 19 and 2() are respectively arranged to co-act with the aforesaid ports 15 and 16 as will be referred To presently.

The plug valve 14 is provided with a stem 21 carrying a controlling lever 22 preferably arranged in juxtaposition with the opening 19 or intake to the strainer. This stem freely passes through an opening 23 in a gland plate 24 adjustably secured to the body 5= by? bolts/.ort-:he .A equivalent-thereof as indicated at "This gland 'plate is pro-V vided with an annular rib 26 which extends into a groove 27 formed by matin-g channelsy in the body 5 and upper portion of theplug 14:. In this Vgroove is a suitable packing material 28. This construction .normally seals the valve against 1leakage land permits 31 and y a. leontrolling .valve :82 by .means of which steam may be :permitted to enter. the chamber Vandato .flow around/and kthrough the cone '311. The .,triap 5,10 fis provided -.with Va drain `,val-verg disposed `.at the apex V`of theA trap c asciearly shown` in .Figure 1. n

lnopeiation, theplugvalve 141 is-turned to the position shownin 4l*`.1gni=e 1. Oil Aventer-s the port 15.1.andr passes. through the. nozzleportion:thereofintoithe'cone 11.l The o ildiseharges .ing .a downward direction through ,the .strainer y 11 -and .axially k.of the tran-'10. The,course ofthe ,oil is deflected through :the .arrangement of parts and .by the'action ofpressnre of suction induced at tbeend 20..of .the structure. 11n so doing the ynnstrained. oil passes through .the speningsjin the strainer body, thence intothe cl'iamber member i 6: aroundy the cone and iis finally 4led .tov the l'opening 12.0 l.as indicated bytheearrow @in Figure 1. In causingfthe oil to 'be r'deflected from ,its Veo.u1-se.as .de-

scribed ,the oil ls-thoroughly filtered andy any l.sedimenti-s fleft .ein theltrap 10 below the ,large end ,of Ythe Vstrainer cone v 11. iOil in .perfectly .clean stateis thereby ,permitted ,to flow 4to the pumpforoilburner lineofethe .heating :planter system.

" Whenit .is desired .to ,clean the ,strainer and r expel accumulated lsediment .ffrom the trap` .110,jfthepplugg .valve 41421s turned so -astof throw ithe jchambery member 6- out of Communication .withthe openings 19 and cause. the portl .tofdirectlyopen the ,oil line to;

the pump P` orfburner line, :the oil taking the course .indieated `lby the V:arrow JJ in iligure an'd'its connection 31.

2. "The stea'mis Ythen .pern'itteditozenter the chamber member by Vway ofthe'valve 32 At this time the drain-valve 33 i'sopen and by the action 01 the inlowing steam under pressure all sedi- "mentinthetra'p 10 may be quickly expelled therefrom aswill be understood. If the oil employedis thick and heavy, the customary suction .valve @at the lpump ,ofthe heating plant or systemfcan Nbe ,closed ,for .a ew seconds .andthe steam ,valve32 ,open lto the position shown. inlFigiirel2, therebynau'sing steam .to`beb1oWn ith-rough Ythe Yport .1'5 1in the 'directionofthetank. This clears .the

line and .further y,is ,a means whereby ,leaks may be readily indicated as desired.

All parts of the strainer structure are separable,..and.niaylbe quickly knocked ldown or e disassembled :and fnew* parts, made `to freplace Worn parts .asthe ,occasion necessitates.

LWhile .I 'have described what I @deem -to be the most desirablel embodiment Off my invention, itisobviousthat many of `the de- A tails -may be' vari-ed .withoutI in ,any way de-V parting from the. ,spirit of, my invention rand I therefore donot limit myselftofthe exact details .of construction f 4herein set vfforth nor to ,anything lessnthanthe whole of Vmy Vinventiondimitedonly by the appended claim.

1What is claimed as new is A strainer structure ,comprising a body having vchamber .therein formed with Aa valve seat @and inlet and outlet .openings aligned abovef and disposed -llaterally of said chamber, a valve mounted for rotarymove- `ment insaid seat, a gland plate adjustable with .respect ,to lsaid valve, an annular rim depending {fromsaid .l gland n plate, and being received in Vmating grooves .formed in fthe body and .valve respeetively, ,a packing m-.aterial between e said :rims Y@and ,the bottoni of the grooveszathe'valvehaving .a porttermi-v nating into anozzle. opening into said chamber .to connectfthe aforesaid inlet .and :outlet V.opleidings a Yforamin-ated truste-conical shaped straineri elementY connected yWithsaid nozzle and arranged in said chamberytoA y strain. ,oil passing roxnithe inlet opening to the leut-let. opening,.andsaid valve being also formed fwith aseeond portto gprovide 'landireet communication betweensaid `inlet and outletl openings.

4dln .testimony whereof I -`have `affixed imy signature.

n EARLE .fI. :S51-ARLES 

